Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire

What is the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire?

The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) is a tool designed to rapidly assess individuals' cognitive and emotional perceptions of their illness (Broadbent et al., 2006). It was developed as a concise alternative to the original Illness Perception Questionnaire and consists of nine items rated on a scale from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum).

The B-IPQ is grounded in the self-regulatory model, which describes how individuals process health threats. This model suggests that situational stimuli, such as symptoms, elicit both cognitive and emotional representations of the illness (Broadbent et al., 2006). Cognitive representations include perceptions of the illness's identity, consequences, cause, timeline, and controllability, while emotional representations encompass reactions like anger, distress, and fear. Together, these representations influence how individuals understand and respond to their health conditions.

Of the nine items in the B-IPQ, five assess cognitive illness representations: effect on life, duration, personal control, effectiveness of treatment, and experience of symptoms (Basu & Poole, 2016). Two items evaluate emotional illness representations, specifically concern about the illness and its impact on mood. One item measures illness comprehensibility, and another captures the perceived cause of the illness, allowing respondents to list the three most likely contributing factors (Basu & Poole, 2016).

The B-IPQ has been widely used to assess patient perceptions in chronic illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. Research shows that positive illness perceptions are associated with better treatment adherence, while negative perceptions in occupational health settings are linked to prolonged sickness and future disability, regardless of the severity of the medical condition (Basu & Poole, 2016). Notably, interventions aimed at altering negative illness perceptions have been shown to improve recovery and outcomes (Broadbent et al., 2006).

The B-IPQ has demonstrated robust discriminant validity, showing great ability to distinguish between illness (Broadbent et al., 2006). The questionnaire's concurrent validity is also reliable when applied to conditions such as asthma, renal disease, and diabetes (Broadbent et al., 2006). Additionally, its predictive validity has been observed in studies of patients recovering from myocardial infarction, where it correlates with mental and physical functioning, including attendance at cardiac rehabilitation classes (Broadbent et al., 2006).

How to use our Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire template

Using the B-IPQ is a simple and straightforward process. Follow these steps to get started:

Step 1: Download the template

Access the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire template by clicking "Use template", allowing you to edit the resource via the Carepatron app. For a PDF copy, choose "Download."

Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the template

The template is designed to guide you through the B-IPQ template. It includes space for essential patient information, such as name and date. The template follows the standard B-IPQ questionnaire, composed of 9 items.

Step 3: Ask the patient to complete

Give the template to the patient to complete. Ensure that they fill out their personal details. Before patient completion, emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer; rather, it is about understanding their authentic answers.

Explain that it is crucial to provide honest answers in order to attain an accurate result. Be sure to guide the individual through the template, helping them with questions if necessary whilst ensuring not to suggest any answers.

Step 4: Score their answers

Calculate the individual's score by following the instructions included in the template. You can also use the guide below.

Scoring

Scoring the B-IPQ is a simple and straightforward process. The 9-item questionnaire is rated on a 0-10 response scale, with higher scores indicating a more threatening perception of illness. To ensure the most accurate results, it is important that all questions are answered to the best of the individual’s ability.

Below are the items related to the subscales (Basu & Poole, 2016):

• Cognitive: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Emotional: 6, 8
• Understanding: 7
• Open ended: 9

The total score is calculated by summing the scores for items 1-8, item 9 is not included in the total score. It is important to note that items 3, 4, and 7 are reverse scored.

The B-IPQ is not a diagnosis tool nor is there an established clinical norm for high or low illness perception scores. However, a report assessing the B-IPQ in patients with recently acquired spinal cord injuries, used the following cut offs of total scores to group patients (Kuiper, et al., 2022):

• Total score of < 42: Low experienced threat 
• Total score of 42-49: Moderate experienced threat 
• Total score of > 50: High experienced threat

Please note that this is not an established clinical norm, rather can be used in a comparative manner to assess changes or differences in illness perception levels across individuals or groups

Next steps after using this questionnaire

After administering the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the next steps involve carefully reviewing and analyzing the results to guide interventions and provide insights into the patient's cognitive and emotional representations of illness in health psychology.

Review and analyze responses

The first step is to review the patient’s total score, which provides a general indication of their level of perceived illness. As, higher scores suggest a more threatening perception of illness. It is also important to analyze the scores for each of the four subscales to identify specific patterns and trends.  By assessing each subscale individually, it is possible to gain deeper insight into areas of strength and those that may require further attention.

Discuss results with the patient

Following the analysis, it is essential to have a sensitive, nonjudgmental conversation with the patient about the results. In social and clinical health psychology, professionals often approach this discussion with empathy and openness, creating a safe space for the patient to reflect on their emotional responses. It’s crucial to consider the broader social determinants of the individual’s life, such as their background, experiences, and challenges, when interpreting the results.

The B-IPQ is a valuable tool in psychological medicine, providing insights into patients’ cognitive and emotional responses to illness. It can be used alongside other health-related assessments to guide targeted interventions in health psychology.

References

Basu, S., & Poole, J. (2016). The brief illness perception questionnaire. Occupational Medicine, 66(5), 419-420.

Broadbent, E., Petrie, K. J., Main, J., & Weinman, J. (2006). The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60(6), 631–637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.10.020

Kuiper, H., van Leeuwen, C. M. C., Stolwijk-Swüste, J. M., & Post, M. W. M. (2022). Reliability and validity of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) in individuals with a recently acquired spinal cord injury. Clinical rehabilitation, 36(4), 550–557. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692155211061813